Robb Walsh's Southern-Style Chicken-Fried Steak

For the Seasoned Flour: In a bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, mixing well. You will have more seasoned flour than you need for most recipes. Set aside the balance for making gravy, or store in a tightly capped jar in a cupboard for another time. Discard any flour in which you have dipped raw meat.

For the Black Pepper Gravy: In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.

Whisk the flour into the butter and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is ivory-colored and smooth. Slowly add the milk while stirring constantly, then continue to stir until free of lumps.

Add the salt and pepper and simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the gravy has thickened and reduced.

Serve hot.

Pour the oil to a depth of 1 inch into a deep cast-iron skillet and heat to 370°F.

While the oil is heating, put the flour in a large, shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Dredge each steak in the flour, shaking off the excess; dip it into the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drip off; and then dredge again in the flour, evenly coating the batter so it is dry on the outside.

Slide 2 or 3 steaks into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd them. The temperature of the oil will fall the moment the meat is added, so you will need to adjust the heat. As the steaks cook, try to keep the oil at around 350°F. If it gets too hot, the steaks will burn before they are cooked through. If it is not hot enough, the batter will be soggy. Cook the steaks for 3 to 5 minutes, until the batter is crisp and brown and the meat is cooked through. Using a wire skimmer, transfer the steaks to paper towels to drain and keep in a warm oven until all of the batches are done.

Serve the steaks with the gravy. Plan on 2 steaks for a typical serving; children and dainty eaters will probably want only 1 steak.